Safe



March 11, 1924. 1,486,176

C. F. WOLTERS SAFE Filed July 26 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 11 1924. v 11,486fi76 c. F. WOLTERS SAFE Filed July 26, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. gm/:7

,4) ATTORNEYX.

March 11 1924-, 1,,486Jl76 c. F. WOLTERS SAFE Filed July 26 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 spective view showing the safe open,

is to say, the sealing element lifted out of f lETTA, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO THE SAFE-CABINET IEITA, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

e'ann Application filed July 28, 1923. Serial No. 658,841.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL F. WOLTERB, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Marietta, in the county of Washington and State of Ohio, have 1nvented certain new and useful Improvements in Safes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in safes, and particularly to safes of fireproof construction. It has for its ObJGCt the providing of means for the housing of the contents of a safe and at the same time the carrying and conveying of the closure element or seal of the safe so that by one operation the sealing element may be moved from its sealing relation with the safe, and the entire contents of the safe brought into convenient position for observation or handling; so in like manner, when it is desired to close the safe, the contents may be housed and the seal effected by one operation.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a pirt at its sealing relation with the safe and the internal construction thereof, brought into operative position. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the safe closed. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken in a plane of one side of a frame, indicated in Fig. 1 as 7, with the side wall of the safe removed; it is also partly in elevation.

In these drawings the safe parts are indicated by numerals, like parts being indicated by ike numerals.

1 indicates the body portion of a rectangular safe, having an aperture at the top thereof to adapt it to receive the subjectmatter to be contained therein, 2 is the closure or sealing element, provided preferably with tongue and groove indentures 13, adapted to register with corresponding tongue and groove indentures 13 in the safe body, 3 is a combination lock element, 4 a handle and 6 are bolts ada ted to be shot into keepers provided in t e body of the safe, all for the pur ose of locking the sealing element in sea ed and locked relation with the bod of the safe, 7 is a frame provided with t e apertures or pigeon holes 8, adapted to receive the subject-matter to be contained within the sate. This frame 7 which is controlled by a suitable pawl and ratchet 12.

Referring now to Fig. 3, 16-16 are shafts suitably mounted in corresponding brackets at the base of the safe. These shafts extend the full length of the safe, and what is now to be said with reference to mechanism for elevating the frame 7, and the sealing element 2, which is shown in Fig. 3, applies with equal force and effect to a correspondin mechanism on the opposite side of the sale, which is in all respects a duplicate of that illustrated in Fig. 3. It is deemed unnecessary to illustrate this duplicate structure.

As previously stated, the frame 7 has two walls, 7 and 7". These walls are provided 1 with legs, as 14, so as to provide clearance for the shafts 16-16 heretofore referred to. @n the side of each of the walls 7 and 7" are suitably secured studs, as 17-17. @n the shafts 16-16 are mounted the sprocket wheels, 15-15 and on the studs 17-17 are mounted the sprocket wheels 19-19, and interpo sed between said sprocket wheels respectively are endless chains 20-20, each of said chains being connected with a platform 22 at 21. Mounted on the studs 17-17 are two gear wheels, 18-18. Suitably mounted on each of the walls 7 and 7 b are studs as 23 and 24, on which are mounted respectively the gear wheels 25 and 26. The

crank arm 11, shown in dotted line in Fig. 3

and in full line in Fig. 1, is mounted on the shaft 24.

The 0 eration of the device is as follows: As previously stated, the body of the safe 1, is rectangular in form and around the opening, which in this disclosure is at the top of the safe, a tongue and groove formation is provided. The sealing element 2 is also formed with corresponding tongue and groove construction so that when the closure or sealing element 2 is brought into sealing relation with the body of the safe, said tongue and groove construction will register, so in like manner the locking and securing are mechanisms between the seal and the safe cooperate in a manner well understood in the art.

The frame 7, comprising the side walls 7 and 7" and the intermediate supporting elements, is adapted to carry the closure or sealing element 2, so that with the vertical movement of the frame 7, said sealing element will be lifted out of the sealing relation with the body of the safe or retracted into such sealing relation. The frame 7 also is adapted to contain whatever subject-matter it is desired to receive into the safe body.

The frame 7 is elevated out of the safe body or retracted into the same by a mechanism, one half of which is illustrated in Fig. 3, as associated with the side wall 7, of the frame. As previously stated, a corresponding mechanism is mounted on and in association wit-h the other side wall of the frame, to wit, 7", and it will be understood that these two mechanisms work together and in unison to accomplish the result of elevating or lowering the frame 7 As previously stated, the shafts 16-16 are suitably mounted at the base of the frame and said shafts run the full width of the base of the frame, and that both ends of each shaft are connected to the sprocket wheels 15. The endless chains 20, are carried by said sprocket wheels 15 and 19 and secured to said chains, at 21 is a platform 22, which is adapted to support the frame 7. When the frame 7 is lowered into the safe body it is supported on the legs 14, in a way to provide clearance for the shafts 16-16. As previously stated the gears 1818 are mounted on the same shaft as the sprocket wheels 19-19, and interposed between said gears are the pinions 25 and 26. The shaft 24 is rotated by the crank arm 11, from the exterior of the safe so that with the rotation of said crank arm the pinions and gears referred to will operate the chains and cause the same to move in the same direction and at the same rate of speed so that when the frame 7 is permitted to rest on the supporting shelf 22, the frame will be moved in conformity with the movement of said shelf, to elevate or lower the same.

The mechanical means above described, for elevating or lowering the frame and carrying the sealing element is only one of many means which may be employed for this purpose. Sufiice it to say that this is a satisfactory means, but it will be understood that other means may be employed for this purpose, as for instance, an electric motor operating a screw, or hydraulic or pneumatic means, operating a plunger, all of which it is deemed unnecessary to illustrate in this application. It is sufficient to say that the claim is not intended to be limited to the particular construction of elevator means.

emes In like manner the invention as illustrated shows a safe where the opening is at the top thereof. It is within the scope of this invention that the opening may be on the side or at the end of the body of the safe and that the frame should reciprocate in a plane perpendicular to the face of said opening, in which case it is apparent that the frame could be run on ways with anti-friction bearings, in the manner of a drawer and at the same time carry the sealing element, in which case it would be entirely possible to eliminate means for elevating the frame, as in such case it could be manipulated manually.

As previously stated, one of the objects of the invention is to so arrange the mechanism that the contents of the safe can be brought into convenient position for observation or handling. In order that this may be made clear, it will be noted that the frame carrying the sealing element may be elevated or lowered to any convenient position so that the pigeon holes formed therein may be brought to the level of the table wings where it is desired to have access to the pigeon holes or drawers on a particular level. From the foregoing it will be understood that the relation between the table wing and the furniture of the frame may be brought into such convenient position as willsatisfy the requirements contemplated in this invention.

Claim-- In a safe, a body portion with an opening therein through the top thereof adapted to afiord access to the interior of the safe and sealing means adapted to form a closure or seal for said opening in combination with a' frame suitably mounted within the body portion of the safe to move in a plane perpendicular to that face of the safe in which is said opening, said sealing means mounted on and carried by said frame, means for operating said frame and sealing element comprising two shafts mounted at the base of the safe and carryin sprocket wheels mounted thereon, sproc et wheels, and a train of gears carried by said frame with endless chains interposed between said sprocket wheel and means to operate said train of gears to cause said chains to move in the same direction, and means carried by said chains to engage said frame so that the same will be elevated or lowered with the movement of the chains, said frame operating means being internal of the safe and op.- erated by a crank arm externally of the safe through the medium of a shaft passing through a. wall of the safe.

Signed by me at Marietta this 23 day of July 1923.

CARL FREDRICK WOLTERS. wgneses:

EDY E. D. Knowme. 

